Why is the US flag backwards on space shuttles??
Abraham S. Mantell
Hello,
I only recently noticed, while looking at a picture of a space shuttle,
that the US flag is printed backwards - while all the words are printed
forwards!!!
Can someone explain the reason(s) for this?
Thanks in advance!
Abe
John Kelleher
: I only recently noticed, while looking at a picture of a space shuttle,
: that the US flag is printed backwards - while all the words are printed
: forwards!!!
: Can someone explain the reason(s) for this?
Abe -
The flag insignia is printed to resemble the flag flying on the stern of
a ship, and the blue field is forward. When you see it on the port side
of the vehicle - as it goes by from your right to your left - it looks
perfectly normal. But when you see it on the starboard side - as when it
goes from your left to your right - it looks backwards. You'll notice
the same thing applies to the US flag painted on aircraft.
Good catch and question!
John Kelleher
Dave Van Domelen
newsgroup line.
In article <3u2593$15...@alum01.its.rpi.edu>,
Abraham S. Mantell <man...@alum01.its.rpi.edu> wrote:
>Hello,
>I only recently noticed, while looking at a picture of a space shuttle,
>that the US flag is printed backwards - while all the words are printed
>forwards!!!
>Can someone explain the reason(s) for this?
>Thanks in advance!
>Abe
>man...@rpi.edu
Well, I haven't seen the picture in question, but it could have been so
that the flags on both sides of the shuttle were pointing the same direction.
You know, as if we were seeing two sides of the same flag.
Dave Van Domelen, "Hey, Vern! Ya stuck the stencil on th' wrong way, ya
idgit! Oh well, mebbe no one'll notice...."
Harlan Messinger
vehicle that began to move forward, the flag would wind up trailing
behind the pole. Looking at the left side of the vehicle, we'd see the
face of the flag; looking at the right side, we'd see the reverse side of
the flag. I believe this corresponds to the way the flag is painted onto
each side.
Dave Van Domelen (dva...@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu) wrote:
: This sounds like a job for alt.fan.cecil-adams, so I'm adding it to the
: newsgroup line.
--
--------------------------------------------------------------
There is no such thing as bad data, only data from bad homes.
Mary Shafer
Dave Van Domelen <dva...@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> wrote:
> This sounds like a job for alt.fan.cecil-adams, so I'm adding it to the
>newsgroup line.
>
>In article <3u2593$15...@alum01.its.rpi.edu>,
>Abraham S. Mantell <man...@alum01.its.rpi.edu> wrote:
>>Hello,
>>I only recently noticed, while looking at a picture of a space shuttle,
>>that the US flag is printed backwards - while all the words are printed
>>forwards!!!
>>Can someone explain the reason(s) for this?
> Well, I haven't seen the picture in question, but it could have been so
>that the flags on both sides of the shuttle were pointing the same direction.
>You know, as if we were seeing two sides of the same flag.
I think it so that the flag is "flying". That is, were it a real
flag, it would be streaming aft from the staff. Obviously, then, the
canton must alway be forward, or closest to the nose.
It's not just on the Shuttle that flags are painted thusly; I've seen
it on a lot of military aircraft, too. I've also seen it on foreign
aircraft, but it's a little harder to catch when the flag is, for
example, made up of horizontal stripes (Ireland, France, and,
formerly, West Germany come to mind here).
--
Mary Shafer DoD #0362 KotFR sha...@ursa-major.spdcc.com
URL http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/People/Shafer/mary.html
Some days it don't come easy/And some days it don't come hard
Some days it don't come at all/And these are the days that never end....
RichEdward
Patty A. New
which would put it right.
Martin Kroeker
: aircraft, but it's a little harder to catch when the flag is, for
: example, made up of horizontal stripes (Ireland, France, and,
: formerly, West Germany come to mind here).
Huh ? So, what does the German flag look like now ?
;-)
Martin
--
Dr.-Ing. Martin Kroeker
Inst. f. Organ. Chemie mar...@oc2.oc.chemie.th-darmstadt.de
Univ. (TH) Darmstadt db...@hrzpub.th-darmstadt.de
Germany
Klaus Ole Kristiansen
>aircraft, but it's a little harder to catch when the flag is, for
>example, made up of horizontal stripes (Ireland, France, and,
>formerly, West Germany come to mind here).
One out of three isn't that bad, I suppose.
Klaus O K
Robert Roman
engulfed in flames. So I guess it will be illegal to put
flags on the shuttle at all after Phil Gramm and Bob Dole
get the flag-burning amendment passed.
Bob
Mary Shafer
Robert Roman <ro...@xp.psych.nyu.edu> wrote:
>When the shuttle reenters the atmosphere, it temporarily is
>engulfed in flames.
No, it isn't. It's true that the heat of re-entry can create an
envelope of ionized gasses that interfers with radio communication
(because of the ionization), but it's not "engulfed in flames".
>So I guess it will be illegal to put
>flags on the shuttle at all after Phil Gramm and Bob Dole
>get the flag-burning amendment passed.
We're smarter than that--notice that the flags make it through
re-entry undamaged. Heat-resistant paint and locating them in a
relatively cool spot are all it takes.
sTrANgeWaYS
>In article <3udrtk$5...@cmcl2.NYU.EDU>,
>Robert Roman <ro...@xp.psych.nyu.edu> wrote:
>>When the shuttle reenters the atmosphere, it temporarily is
>>engulfed in flames.
>
>No, it isn't. It's true that the heat of re-entry can create an
>envelope of ionized gasses that interfers with radio communication
>(because of the ionization), but it's not "engulfed in flames".
>
>>So I guess it will be illegal to put
>>flags on the shuttle at all after Phil Gramm and Bob Dole
>>get the flag-burning amendment passed.
>
>We're smarter than that--notice that the flags make it through
>re-entry undamaged. Heat-resistant paint and locating them in a
>relatively cool spot are all it takes.
>
Oh my god!
News Flash: It was a joke.
Humor, a funny, an attempt a levity!
Man, get a grip.
John Kelleher
: Oh my god!
: News Flash: It was a joke.
: Humor, a funny, an attempt a levity!
: Man, get a grip.
Taught many junior high or high school classes lately? While it might
have been a joke, it's precisely the kind of thing you'll hear a student
ask. Partly to be the class clown, and partly, perhaps, to hide the fact
that the underlying science isn't understood.
I think the question and Mary's reply might just be a good opening to
some classroom discussion and, after all, I'm in here because it's the
"misc. education.science" area. Lots of students will be returning in
the fall having seen Apollo 13. Think of the myriad science quetions you
can devise based on that one movie alone. How much electricity does your
house use? Why would the spacecraft have bounced into space? Why did
communications shut down for 4 minutes? How much water vapor is in your
breath? What happens to materials in extreme cold? Or to people? Given
the following materials, construct something...
Heck - this is the motherlode of science questions. And right on top of
the list might just be something like: If it's illegal to burn the US
flag, and it looks like the shuttle is "engulfed in flames" during
reentry, what do NASA scientists do to stay out of jail? It will be fun
to see what answers the kids come up with.
My sincere thanks to Robert, the humorist, and Mary, the scientist.
After all, if you can't do science when you're having fun, it's just not
worth having fun!
John Kelleher
Robert Roman
John Kelleher <kell...@netcom.com> wrote:
>sTrANgeWaYS (jsno...@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu) wrote:
>Taught many junior high or high school classes lately? While it might
>have been a joke, it's precisely the kind of thing you'll hear a student
>ask. Partly to be the class clown, and partly, perhaps, to hide the fact
>that the underlying science isn't understood.
But mostly to make a civil libertarian point about the absurdity
of a flag-desecration amendment.
Maybe a better question would have been, if we make our flag
sacred, will we all burn in hell for violating the 1st and
2nd commandments?
Bob